Scripture
for Animal Lovers

"For
every animal of the forest is mine, beasts by the thousands on my
mountains. I know every bird of the heavens; the creatures of the field
belong to me." (Psalm 50:10-11)

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Please Note:
Scripture passages below may only indirectly apply to animals (or, in
some cases, only appear to include them). Readers are reminded
that various Bible verses should not be taken literally and that the
Church has the sole authority to interpret sacred Scripture. For
more scripture, visit the Scripture/Parables section.

Reference

Scripture

GEN 1:19-25

Evening came, and
morning followed - the fourth day. Then God said, "Let the
water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth
let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky." And so it
happened: God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of
swimming creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of
winged birds. God saw how good it was, and God blessed them,
saying, "Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the
seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth." Evening came,
and morning followed - the fifth day. Then God said, "Let the
earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping
things, and wild animals of all kinds." And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle, and all
kinds of creeping things of the earth. God saw how good it was.

Taken from GEN 1:29-31

God also said [to man]:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and
all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the
green plants for food." And so it happened. God looked at
everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came,
and morning followed - the sixth day.

GEN 2:18-24

The LORD God said:
"It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a
suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the
ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he
brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever
the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names
to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild
animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was
asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with
flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had
taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said:
"This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this
one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and
mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one
body.

GEN 3:14

Then the LORD God said to the
serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your
belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your
life."

GEN 6:17-20

I, on my part, am about
to bring the flood (waters) on the earth, to destroy everywhere
all creatures in which there is the breath of life; everything on
earth shall perish. But with you I will establish my covenant; you
and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives, shall go into the
ark. Of all other living creatures you shall bring two into the
ark, one male and one female, that you may keep them alive with
you. Of all kinds of birds, of all kinds of beasts, and of all
kinds of creeping things, two of each shall come into the ark with
you, to stay alive.

GEN 7:12-16

For forty days and forty
nights heavy rain poured down on the earth. On the precise day
named, Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife,
and the three wives of Noah's sons had entered the ark, together
with every kind of wild beast, every kind of domestic animal,
every kind of creeping thing of the earth, and every kind of bird.
Pairs of all creatures in which there was the breath of life
entered the ark with Noah. Those that entered were male and
female, and of all species they came, as God had commanded Noah.
Then the LORD shut him in.

GEN 7:24, 8:1-12

The waters maintained
their crest over the earth for one hundred and fifty days, and
then God remembered Noah and all the animals, wild and tame, that
were with him in the ark. So God made a wind sweep over the earth,
and the waters began to subside. The fountains of the abyss and
the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the downpour from the
sky was held back. Gradually the waters receded from the earth. At
the end of one hundred and fifty days, the waters had so
diminished that, in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of
the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The
waters continued to diminish until the tenth month, and on the
first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains appeared.
At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the
ark, and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on
the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from
the earth. Then he sent out a dove, to see if the waters had
lessened on the earth. But the dove could find no place to alight
and perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water
all over the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and
drew it back to him inside the ark. He waited seven days more and
again sent the dove out from the ark. In the evening the dove came
back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf!
So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth. He waited
still another seven days and then released the dove once more; and
this time it did not come back.

GEN 8:15-17

Then God said to Noah:
"Go out of the ark, together with your wife and your sons and
your sons' wives. Bring out with you every living thing that is
with you - all bodily creatures, be they birds or animals or
creeping things of the earth-and let them abound on the earth,
breeding and multiplying on it."

GEN 9:5

For your own lifeblood, too, I will
demand an accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from
man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for
human life.

GEN 9:8-17

God said to Noah and to
his sons with him: "See, I am now establishing my covenant
with you and your descendants after you and with every living
creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame
and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. I
will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all
bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there
shall not be another flood to devastate the earth." God
added: "This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to
come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature
with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the
covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the
earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the
covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so
that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all
mortal beings. As the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and
recall the everlasting covenant that I have established between
God and all living beings - all mortal creatures that are on
earth." God told Noah: "This is the sign of the covenant
I have established between me and all mortal creatures that are on
earth."

EX 13:1-2

The LORD spoke to Moses and said, "Consecrate to me every first-born that opens the womb among the Israelites, both of man and beast, for it belongs to me."

EX 13:11-22

"When the LORD, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, which he swore to you and your fathers he would give you, you shall dedicate to the LORD every son that opens the womb;
and all the male firstlings of your animals shall belong to the LORD."

EX 23:4-5

"When you come upon
your enemy's ox or ass going astray, see to it that it is returned
to him. When you notice the ass of one who hates you lying
prostrate under its burden, by no means desert him; help him,
rather, to raise it up."

EX 23:12

"For six days you
may do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest, that your
ox and your ass may also have rest, and that the son of your
maidservant and the alien may be refreshed."

NUM 3:11-13

The LORD said to Moses, "It is I who have chosen the Levites from the Israelites in place of every first-born that opens the womb among the Israelites. The Levites, therefore, are mine,
because every first-born is mine. When I slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I made all the first-born in Israel sacred to me, both of man and of beast. They belong to me; I am the LORD."

NUM 8:17

Indeed, all the first-born among the
Israelites, both of man and of beast, belong to me; I consecrated
them to myself on the day I slew all the first-born in the land of
Egypt.

NUM 20:6-11

But Moses and Aaron went
away from the assembly to the entrance of the meeting tent, where
they fell prostrate. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them,
and the LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff and assemble the
community, you and your brother Aaron, and in their presence order
the rock to yield its waters. From the rock you shall bring forth
water for the community and their livestock to drink." So
Moses took the staff from its place before the LORD, as he was
ordered. He and Aaron assembled the community in front of the
rock, where he said to them, "Listen to me, you rebels! Are
we to bring water for you out of this rock?" Then, raising
his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and water
gushed out in abundance for the community and their livestock to
drink.

Taken from NUM 22:30-33

But the ass said to Balaam, "Am I not your own beast, and have you not always ridden upon me until now? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way before?" "No," replied Balaam. Then the LORD removed the veil from Balaam's eyes, so that he too saw the angel of the
LORD standing on the road with sword drawn; and he fell on his knees and bowed to the ground.
But the angel of the LORD said to him, "...It is I who have
come armed to hinder you because this rash journey of yours is
directly opposed to me. When the ass saw me, she turned away from
me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would
have killed you; her I would have spared."

Taken from DEUT 5:12-14

'Take care to keep holy the sabbath day as the LORD, your God, commanded you. Six days you may labor and do all your work;
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then, whether by you, or your son or
daughter...or your ox or ass or any of your beasts, or the alien who lives with you.'

DEUT 22:4

You shall not see your
kinsman's ass or ox foundering on the road without showing concern
about it; see to it that you help him lift it up.

2SAM 12:3

But the poor man had nothing at all
except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her,
and she grew up with him and his children. She shared the little
food he had and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom. She was
like a daughter to him.

1KGS 5:12-14

Solomon also uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
He discussed plants, from the cedar on Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall, and he spoke about beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes.
Men came to hear Solomon's wisdom from all nations, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

1CHRON 16:30-33

Tremble before him, all
the earth; he has made the world firm, not to be moved. Let the
heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let them say among the
nations: The LORD is king. Let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains rejoice and all that is in them! Then shall all the
trees of the forest exult before the LORD, for he comes: he comes
to rule the earth.

Taken from NEH 9:6

Then Ezra said: "It is you, O LORD, you are the only
one; you made the heavens, the highest heavens and all their host,
the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in
them. To all of them you give life, and the heavenly hosts bow
down before you."

Taken from JDTH 4:9-10

All the men of Israel cried to God with great fervor and did
penance - they, along with their wives, and children, and domestic animals.

JDTH 16:13-14

"A new hymn I will
sing to my God. O Lord, great are you and glorious, wonderful in
power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for
you spoke, and they were made, You sent forth your spirit, and
they were created; no one can resist your word."

JOB 5:19-24

Out of six troubles he
will deliver you, and at the seventh no evil shall touch you. In
famine he will deliver you from death, and in war from the threat
of the sword; From the scourge of the tongue you shall be hidden,
and shall not fear approaching ruin. At destruction and want you
shall laugh; the beasts of the earth you need not dread. You shall
be in league with the stones of the field, and the wild beasts
shall be at peace with you. And you shall know that your tent is
secure; taking stock of your household, you shall miss nothing.

JOB 12:7-10

But now ask the beasts
to teach you, and the birds of the air to tell you; Or the
reptiles on earth to instruct you, and the fish of the sea to
inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of God
has done this? In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and
the life breath of all mankind.

JOB 34:12-15

Surely, God cannot act wickedly, the Almighty
cannot violate justice. Who gave him government over the earth, or
who else set all the land in its place? If he were to take back
his spirit to himself, withdraw to himself his breath, All flesh
would perish together, and man would return to the dust.

JOB 38:36,41

Who puts wisdom in the heart, and gives the cock its understanding?
Who provides nourishment for the ravens when their young ones cry out to God, and they rove abroad without food?

JOB 39:1-6

Do you know about the
birth of the mountain goats, watch for the birth pangs of the
hinds, number the months that they must fulfill, and fix the time
of their bringing forth? They crouch down and bear their young;
they deliver their progeny in the desert. When their offspring
thrive and grow, they leave and do not return. Who has given the
wild ass his freedom, and who has loosed him from bonds? I have
made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling.

JOB 39:19

Do you give the horse
his strength, and endow his neck with splendor?

PS 24:1

The earth is the
LORD'S and all it holds, the world and those who live there.

PS 36:6-8

LORD, your love reaches to heaven; your fidelity, to the clouds. Your justice is like the highest mountains;
your judgments, like the mighty deep; all living creatures you sustain, LORD. How precious is your love, O God!
We take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

PS 50:10-11

For every animal of the
forest is mine, beasts by the thousands on my mountains. I know
every bird of the heavens; the creatures of the field belong to
me.

PS 65:12-14

You adorn the year with
your bounty; your paths drip with fruitful rain. The untilled
meadows also drip; the hills are robed with joy. The pastures are
clothed with flocks, the valleys blanketed with grain; they cheer
and sing for joy.

PS 69:35

"Let the heavens and the earth sing praise, the seas and
whatever moves in them!"

PS 96:11-13

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth,
To govern the world with justice and the peoples with faithfulness.

PS 98:7-9

Let the sea and what
fills it resound, the world and those who dwell there. Let the
rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy,
Before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To
govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.

You made springs flow
into channels that wind among the mountains. They give drink to
every beast of the field; here wild asses quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of heaven nest; among the branches they
sing. You water the mountains from your palace; by your labor the
earth abounds. You raise grass for the cattle and plants for our
beasts of burden. You bring bread from the earth, and wine to
gladden our hearts, Oil to make our faces gleam, food to build our
strength. The trees of the LORD drink their fill, the cedars of
Lebanon, which you planted. There the birds build their nests;
junipers are the home of the stork. The high mountains are for
wild goats; the rocky cliffs, a refuge for badgers.

PS 104:24-30

How varied are your
works, LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all; the earth is
full of your creatures. Look at the sea, great and wide! It teems
with countless beings, living things both large and small. Here
ships ply their course; here Leviathan, your creature, plays. All
of these look to you to give them food in due time. When you give
to them, they gather; when you open your hand, they are well
filled. When you hide your face, they are lost. When you take away
their breath, they perish and return to the dust from which they
came. When you send forth your breath, they are created, and you
renew the face of the earth.

PS 136:25

And gives food to all flesh, God's love endures
forever.

PS 145:9-16

The LORD is good to all,
compassionate to every creature. All your works give you thanks, O
LORD and your faithful bless you. They speak of the glory of your
reign and tell of your great works, Making known to all your
power, the glorious splendor of your rule. Your reign is a reign
for all ages, your dominion for all generations. The LORD is
trustworthy in every word, and faithful in every work. The LORD
supports all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you; you give them their food in
due season. You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of
every living thing.

Sing to the LORD with
thanksgiving; with the lyre celebrate our God, Who covers the
heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, makes grass
sprout on the mountains, Who gives animals their food and ravens
what they cry for.

PS 148:7-13

Praise the LORD from the
earth, you sea monsters and all deep waters; You lightning and
hail, snow and clouds, storm winds that fulfill his command; You
mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; You animals
wild and tame, you creatures that crawl and fly; You kings of the
earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth; Young
men and women too, old and young alike. Let them all praise the
LORD'S name, for his name alone is exalted, majestic above earth
and heaven.

PS 150:6

Let everything that has breath give praise to the LORD!
Hallelujah!

PROV 12:10

The just man takes care of his beast,
but the heart of the wicked is merciless.

PROV 30:24-31

Four things are among
the smallest on the earth, and yet are exceedingly wise: Ants
- a species not strong, yet they store up their food in the
summer; Rock-badgers - a species not mighty, yet they make
their home in the crags; Locusts - they have no king, yet
they migrate all in array; Lizards - you can catch them with your
hands, yet they find their way into king's palaces. Three
things are stately in their stride, yes, four are stately in
their carriage: The lion, mightiest of beasts, who retreats
before nothing; The strutting cock, and the he-goat, and the
king at the head of his people.

ECCL 3:18-21

I said to myself: As for
the children of men, it is God's way of testing them and of
showing that they are in themselves like beasts. For the lot of
man and of beast is one lot; the one dies as well as the other.
Both have the same life-breath, and man has no advantage over the
beast; but all is vanity. Both go to the same place; both were
made from the dust, and to the dust they both return. Who knows if
the life-breath of the children of men goes upward and the
life-breath of beasts goes earthward?

WISDOM 1:13-15

Because God did not make
death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and
the creatures of the world are wholesome, And there is not a
destructive drug among them nor any domain of the nether
world on earth, For justice is undying.

WISDOM 11:24-26,12:1

For you love all things
that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what
you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing
remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not
been called forth by you? But you spare all things, because
they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your
imperishable spirit is in all things!

Taken from WISDOM 12:13

For neither is there any god besides
you who have the care of all

WISDOM 13:5

For from the greatness and the beauty
of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.

SIRACH 1:4-8

Before all things else
wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity.
To whom has wisdom's root been revealed? Who knows her
subtleties? There is but one, wise and truly
awe-inspiring, seated upon his throne: It is the LORD; he
created her, has seen her and taken note of her. He has
poured her forth upon all his works, upon every living thing
according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his
friends.

SIRACH 16:24-28

When at the first God
created his works and, as he made them, assigned their tasks,
He ordered for all time what they were to do and their
domains from generation to generation. They were not to
hunger, nor grow weary, nor ever cease from their tasks. Not
one should ever crowd its neighbor, nor should they ever
disobey his word. Then the LORD looked upon the earth, and
filled it with his blessings. Its surface he covered with all
manner of life which must return into it again.

SIRACH 40:1-8

A great anxiety has God
allotted, and a heavy yoke, to the sons of men; From the
day one leaves his mother's womb to the day he returns to the
mother of all the living, His thoughts, the fear in his
heart, and his troubled forebodings till the day he dies -
Whether he sits on a lofty throne or grovels in dust and
ashes, Whether he bears a splendid crown or is wrapped in the
coarsest of cloaks - Are of wrath and envy, trouble and
dread, terror of death, fury and strife. Even when he
lies on his bed to rest, his cares at night disturb his
sleep. So short is his rest it seems like none, till in his
dreams he struggles as he did by day, Terrified by what his
mind's eye sees, like a fugitive being pursued; As he reaches
safety, he wakes up astonished that there was nothing to
fear. So it is with all flesh, with man and with beast, but
for sinners seven times more.

SIRACH 41:3-4

Fear not death's decree for you; remember, it
embraces those before you, and those after. Thus God has ordained
for all flesh; why then should you reject the will of the Most
High? Whether one has lived a thousand years, a hundred, or
ten, in the nether world he has no claim on life.

SIRACH 42:15-25

Now will I recall God's
works; what I have seen, I will describe. At God's word
were his works brought into being; they do his will as he has
ordained for them. As the rising sun is clear to all, so the
glory of the LORD fills all his works; Yet even God's holy ones
must fail in recounting the wonders of the LORD, Though
God has given these, his hosts, the strength to stand firm
before his glory. He plumbs the depths and penetrates the
heart; their innermost being he understands. The Most
High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that
are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and
reveals the deepest secrets. No understanding does he
lack; no single thing escapes him. Perennial is his almighty
wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same, With
nothing added, nothing taken away; no need of a counselor for
him! How beautiful are all his works! even to the spark and
the fleeting vision! The universe lives and abides
forever; to meet each need, each creature is preserved. All
of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in
vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one
ever see enough of their splendor?

SIRACH 43:25-35

Those who go down to the
sea tell part of its story, and when we hear them we are
thunderstruck; In it are his creatures, stupendous,
amazing, all kinds of life, and the monsters of the deep. For
him each messenger succeeds, and at his bidding accomplishes
his will. More than this we need not add; let the last word
be, he is all in all! Let us praise him the more, since we cannot
fathom him, for greater is he than all his works; Awful
indeed is the LORD'S majesty, and wonderful is his power.
Lift up your voices to glorify the LORD, though he is still beyond
your power to praise; Extol him with renewed strength, and
weary not, though you cannot reach the end: For who can see him
and describe him? or who can praise him as he is? Beyond
these, many things lie hid; only a few of his works have we
seen. It is the LORD who has made all things, and to those
who fear him he gives wisdom.

SIRACH 44:17-18

Noah, found just and perfect, renewed the race
in the time of devastation. Because of his worth there were
survivors, and with a sign to him the deluge ended; A lasting
agreement was made with him, that never should all flesh be
destroyed.

ISA 1:2-3

Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth, for the
LORD speaks: Sons have I raised and reared, but they have disowned
me! An ox knows its owner, and an ass, its master's manger; But
Israel does not know, my people has not understood.

ISA 11:1-9

But a shoot shall sprout
from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall
blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit
of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of
strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and
his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance
shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall
judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's
afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his
mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the
wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and
faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest
of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The
calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little
child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like
the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child
lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin
on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with
knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.

ISA 42:10

Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the
end of the earth: Let the sea and what fills it resound, the
coastlands, and those who dwell in them.

ISA 43:19-21

See, I am doing
something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive
it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland,
rivers. Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, for
I put water in the desert and rivers in the
wasteland for my chosen people to drink, the people whom I
formed for myself, that they might announce my praise.

ISA 65:17-25

Lo, I am about to create
new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past
shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall
always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For
I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a
delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my
people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard
there, or the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in
it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who
does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth
who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a
hundred shall be thought accursed. They shall live in the houses
they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant;
They shall not build houses for others to live in, or plant
for others to eat. As the years of a tree, so the years of my
people; and my chosen ones shall long enjoy the produce
of their hands. They shall not toil in vain, nor beget
children for sudden destruction; For a race blessed by the
LORD are they and their offspring. Before they call, I will
answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hearken to them.
The wolf and the lamb shall graze alike, and the lion shall
eat hay like the ox (but the serpent's food shall be
dust). None shall hurt or destroy on all my holy
mountain, says the LORD.

JER 8:7

Even the stork in the
air knows it seasons; Turtledove, swallow and
thrush observe their time of return, But my people do
not know the ordinance of the LORD.

JER 27:5

It was I who made the earth, and man
and beast on the face of the earth, by my great power, with my
outstretched arm; and I can give them to whomever I think fit.

JER 31:27

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will seed the house of Israel and the house of Judah with
the seed of man and the seed of beast.

Taken from BARUCH 3:32-36

Yet he who knows all
things knows her; he has probed her by his knowledge
- He who established the earth for all time, and filled
it with four-footed beasts; He who dismisses the light, and it
departs, calls it, and it obeys him trembling; Before whom the
stars at their posts shine and rejoice; When he calls them,
they answer, "Here we are!" shining with joy for
their Maker. Such is our God; no other is to be compared to
him

BARUCH 6:61-67

The clouds, too, when
commanded by God to proceed across the whole world, fulfill the
order; and fire, sent from on high to burn up the mountains and
the forests, does what has been commanded. But these false gods
are not their equal, whether in beauty or in power; so that it is
unthinkable, and cannot be claimed, that they are gods. They can
neither execute judgment, nor benefit man. Know, therefore, that
they are not gods, and do not fear them. Kings they neither curse
nor bless. They show the nations no signs in the heavens, nor are
they brilliant like the sun, nor shining like the moon. The beasts
which can help themselves by fleeing to shelter are better than
they are.

EZEK 47:6-9

He asked me, "Have
you seen this, son of man?" Then he brought me to the bank of
the river, where he had me sit. Along the bank of the river I saw
very many trees on both sides. He said to me, "This water
flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties
into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the
river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall
live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water
comes the sea shall be made fresh."

Taken from DAN 3:74-81

Let the earth bless the
Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. Mountains and
hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all
forever. Everything growing from the earth, bless the
Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. You springs,
bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Seas
and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all
forever. You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the
Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. All you birds
of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all
forever. All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the
Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

HOSEA 2:20-22

I will make a covenant
for them on that day, with the beasts of the field, With
the birds of the air, and with the things that crawl on the
ground. Bow and sword and war I will destroy from the
land, and I will let them take their rest in security. I will
espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in
justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in
fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.

JOEL 2:22

Fear not, beasts of the field! for the pastures of the plain are green; The tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and the
vine give their yield.

JONAH 1:15, 2:1-4, 11

Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea's raging
abated... But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. From the belly of the fish Jonah said this prayer to the LORD, his God: Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me;
From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice.
For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the
flood enveloped me; All your breakers and your billows passed over
me... Then the LORD commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore.

JONAH 3:1-10

The word of the LORD
came to Jonah a second time: "Set out for the great city of
Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell
you." So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to
the LORD'S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it
took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through
the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when
the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all
of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached
the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. Then he had
this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his
nobles: "Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink
water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call
loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the
violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he
did not carry it out.

JONAH 4:7-11

But the next morning at
dawn God sent a worm which attacked the plant, so that it
withered. And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint. Then he
asked for death, saying, "I would be better off dead than
alive." But God said to Jonah, "Have you reason to be
angry over the plant?" "I have reason to be angry,"
Jonah answered, "angry enough to die." Then the LORD
said, "You are concerned over the plant which cost you no
labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in
one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh,
the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty
thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from
their left, not to mention the many cattle?"

MT 6:25-27

[Jesus said:] "Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink),
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food
and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your
life-span?"

MT 10:29

[Jesus said:] "Are not two sparrows
sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground
without your Father's knowledge."

MT 15:21-28

Then Jesus went from
that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And
behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is
tormented by a demon." But he did not say a word in answer to
her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for
she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I
was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But
the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help
me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food
of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said,
"Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall
from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in
reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you
as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

MT 21:1-11

When they drew near
Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent
two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite
you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt
with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone
should say anything to you, reply, 'The master has need of them.'
Then he will send them at once." This happened so that what
had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: "Say
to daughter Zion, 'Behold, your king comes to you, meek
and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of
burden.'" The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered
them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over
them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their
cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and
strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those
following kept crying out and saying: "Hosanna to
the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord; hosanna in the highest." And when he entered
Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, "Who is
this?" And the crowds replied, "This is Jesus the
prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee."

Taken from MK 1:12-13

At once the Spirit drove
[Jesus] out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for
forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the
angels ministered to him.

MK 7:24-30

From that place he went
off to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one
to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman
whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and
fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by
birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not
right to take the food of the children and throw it to the
dogs." She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs
under the table eat the children's scraps." Then he said to
her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of
your daughter." When the woman went home, she found the child
lying in bed and the demon gone.

Taken from MK 11:1-11

When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and
Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and
said to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and
immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which
no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should
say to you, 'Why are you doing this?' reply, 'The Master has need
of it and will send it back here at once.'" So they went off
and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street, and
they untied it. Some of the bystanders said to them, "What
are you doing, untying the colt?" They answered them just as
Jesus had told them to, and they permitted them to do it. So they
brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat
on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others
spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those
preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:
"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!" He entered Jerusalem and went into
the temple area. He looked around at everything and, since it was
already late, went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Taken from MK 16:15

[Jesus] said to them,
"Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every
creature." [Note: This terminology may not reflect
Christ's desire to preach to animals, however, many animal lovers
find this passage comforting. Also note that some saints are known
to have literally preached to the animals (e.g. St. Francis of
Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua).]

Taken from LK 3:5-6

"'Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and
hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the
salvation of God.'"

Taken from LK 11:9-13

[Jesus said,] "And I tell you,
ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and
the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will
be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when
he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an
egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the
Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

LK 12:6

[Jesus said:] "Are not five sparrows
sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the
notice of God."

LK 12:22-26

He said to (his)
disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will
wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither
storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important
are you than birds! Can any of you by worrying add a moment to
your lifespan? If even the smallest things are beyond your
control, why are you anxious about the rest?"

LK 14:5

Then [Jesus] said to
them, "Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?"

LK 15:4-7

[Jesus said:] "What
man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would
not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one
until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his
shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls
together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with
me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the
same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of
repentance."

Taken from JN 10:11

[Jesus said,] "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for
the sheep."

Taken from ACTS 17:25

Rather it is [God who made the world] who gives to everyone life and breath and
everything.

ROM 8:19-23

For creation awaits with
eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for
creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but
because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the
glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation
is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but
we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also
groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of
our bodies.

ROM 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the
riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his
judgments and how unsearchable his ways! "For who has known
the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor?" "Or
who has given him anything that he may be repaid?" For from
him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory
forever. Amen.

1COR 15:36-44

You fool! What you sow
is not brought to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the
body that is to be but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some
other kind; but God gives it a body as he chooses, and to each of
the seeds its own body. Not all flesh is the same, but there is
one kind for human beings, another kind of flesh for animals,
another kind of flesh for birds, and another for fish. There are
both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the
heavenly is one kind and that of the earthly another. The
brightness of the sun is one kind, the brightness of the moon
another, and the brightness of the stars another. For star differs
from star in brightness. So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown
dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised
powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.

COL 1:15-16

He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were
created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers; all things were created through him and for him.

HEB 4:13

No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we
must render an account.

JMS 3:7

For every kind of beast
and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been
tamed by the human species

RV 4:11

"Worthy are you,
Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you
created all things; because of your will they came to be and were
created."

RV 5:13

Then I heard every
creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the
sea, everything in the universe, cry out: "To the one who
sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory
and might, forever and ever." [Note: Of course, the
Lamb in this verse refers to our Lord Jesus Christ. This passage
is included herein, however, since it also refers to "every
creature...".]

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